Catch basin for sewerage systems



Sept. 7, 1937.

Filed Dec. 19, 1936 FIG./

FIG. 2

lNVENTOR ALBERT E. AKERS BY I2:

A TTORNEY Patented Sept. 7, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to sewer constructions, and more particularly toimprovements in catch basins for facilitating the cleaning of seweragesystems. v

Among the objects of the invention are the provision of a removableinner catch basin or receptacle which separates and retains the silt andsolid substances fromsewage, whereby such refuse can be readily removedin a single lifting operation by a derrick and dumped through a lowerhinged trap door in the removable basin into a truck; the provision ofmeans so that upon rotationor oscillation of the empty inner catch basinwithin the outer basin any remaining sand and silt will be forcedfromthe outer basin into the inner catch basin which will then drop intoplace without further cleaning; the provision of means for expeditingthe centering of the inner catch basin in the outer basin and forovercoming and disrupting any suction with the walls of the outer basinto readily permit the removal of the inner catch basin; and theprovision of a combination street inlet and sewer catch basin which isof simple, eflicient, and inexpensive construction for accomplishing aplurality of functions with a minimum of parts.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the followingdescription when taken in conjunction with the drawing, wherein likereference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the severalviews.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a vertical central section of the assembled cylindrical outerand inner catch basins with a combination street inlet and outletconstructed according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof taken on line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a side elevational View of the inner catch basin shown removedfrom the outer basin and held in dumping position with its trap door orhinged gate swung open.

The sewer construction in accordance with the embodiment of theinvention shownin the drawing comprises an outer catch basin I0 providedwith a combination inlet and outlet, designated generally by thereference numeral I I. The combination inlet and outlet has a curb inletopening I2 and an outlet I3 which opens into a chamber I4. The chamber I4 is provided with a re-- movable cover I5, the upper surface of whichis flush with the street level. The chamber I4 also has a tubularportion I6 which connects with an underground sewerage system (notshown) A cylindrical inner catch basin or receptacle is placed withinthe outer catch basin so that an outlet opening 2I in the removablebasin 2!] coincides with the outlet opening I3 of the outer basin, afterwhich a cover 22 is placed in position 5 so as to be on a level with thesidewalk. The openings ZI and I3 are completely below the water level,which level is indicated by a horizontal line I! in Fig. 1, to effect awater seal and prevent the leakage of sewer gas. As shown in thedrawing, the inner removable basin 2!! is provided with four sets ofvertical vanes 23 fastened to or integral with the outside walls of theremovable basin 20.1. Also four vanes 24 are fastened to or are integralwith the bottom of the 15 inner basin and extend from the lower ends ofthe vanes 23 to the inverted apex of the conical bottom of the innerbasin 20.

Adjacent the vanes 23 and 24 in the bottom portion of the inner basinare four openings 25 through which water and silt are forced from theouter basin into the inner basin when the later is rotated oroscillated. These vanes 23-24 keep the inner basin 20 properly centeredWithin the outer basin I0 and scrape the muck and silt from the outerbasin. Moreover, the muck and water sometimes form a suction between thewalls of the inner and outer basins and make it difiicult to remove theinner basin from the outer basin in cleaning operations. This suction isreadily disrupted bythe movement of the vanes 2324 when the inner basin29 is slightly oscillated or rotated thus permitting the ready removalof the inner basin when so desired without application of anydestructive forces.

Secured within the top of the inner basin or receptacle 2|] is a bail 26whereby upon engagement with a hook 21 of any suitable elevating means(not shown), such as a derrick, boom, or crane, which may be mounted ona truck, the removable basin 20 is lifted out over the vehicle intowhich the muck and silt is to be dumped. The bail 26 is also used torotate or oscillate the inner basin.

The lower portion of the inner basin as disclosed in Figs. 1 and 3includes a trapdoor or gate 30 which is hinged at 3| so that whenunlatched the door swings into an open dumping position as shown in Fig.3. This trap door is normally held closed by a latch 32 which engages acatch 33.

In operation the refuse, silt, sand and other dirt mixed with thesurface water runs into the gutter against the curb and then through theinlet I2 into the inner basin or receptacle 20 where the solid material,such as sand and silt, sinks or settles to the bottom and the liquidpasses out through outlets 2| and I3 into the chamber I4 and thencethrough the tube I6 into the underground sewerage system. The surfacewater from the street in passing over the cover [5 of the combinationinlet and outlet ll deposits silt in any cracks or openings and effectsa seal between the cover and the supporting frame of the combinationinlet and outlet to prevent the leakage of sewer gases.

In the event the sewer becomes stopped or clogged up the cover 15 may beremoved to thus permit easy access into the chamber l4 and through thetube 56 into the underground sewerage system without resorting to theold expensive method of tearing up the city streets with subsequentcostly repairs.

In cleaning the sewerage system disclosed herein, the cover 22 isremoved and the hook 2! of any suitable lifting device is engaged withthe loop in the bail 26 whereby the inner basin or receptacle 20 isremoved and swung over a truck; whereupon the latch 32 is released andthe muck, silt, sand and other refuse is dumped through the gate or door30 into the vehicle for carting it away. If the muck has formed asuction between the walls of the inner and outer basins thus makin itdifficult to raise the inner basin 20, this suction may be disrupted andreadily overcome by slightly rotating the basin or receptacle 2!] byengagement of any suitable rotating mechanism with the bail 26 to movethe vanes 23-24.

After the refuse is dumped into the truck, the trap door or gate 30 isswung back into closed position and the latch 32 looked over the catch33. Before the empty inner basin is returned the street cover I5 isremoved to give access to the chamber l4 whereupon any silt or refusetherein is pushed into the outer basin ID. The empty inner basin is thenlowered into the outer basin and 'rotated therein, whereby the vanes2324 scrape away muck or silt from the walls and the conical bottom ofthe outer basin [0 and force such refuse and silt through the fouropenings 25 into the inner basin or receptacle 20. Thus the catch basinis completely cleaned in a very simple and extremely quick operation andthe inner basin 2!) drops into its lowermost position inside the outercatch basin Ill without resorting to the expensive manual cleaningoperations by a number of laborers with buckets and shovels heretoforenecessary.

The inner and outer basins with combination inlet and outlet may be madeof any suitable corrosion resisting material, such as cast iron, nickelalloys, aluminum alloys, steel alloys, etc.

While the principles of this invention have been described withreference to the embodiment shown in the drawing and with reference to aparticular case, it is to be understood that the several features of theinvention may be embodied in different forms for different uses, that itis not the intention to limit the claims to the particular embodimentdisclosed, and that any terms imported from the specification into theclaims are to be considered as words of description rather than oflimitation.

For instance, the construction shown in the drawing is adaptable for useas a catch basin or collector in a main sewer under a roadway; that isthe inner basin 2!! and the outer basin l0 without the openings I2, l3and 2|v and without the combination inlet and outlet ll may bepositioned under a manhole with the top of the modified outer basinflush with the bottom of the main sewer. When it is desired to clean theinner and outer basin, the manhole cover is removed and a tube or rim ofsufiicient height is fitted into the uppermost portion of the outerbasin IE] to keep the water and sewage back until the inner basin 20 islifted out, dumped, replaced and rotated into lowermost position toforce any remaining silt or muck from the outer basin into the innerbasin as hereinbefore described. After which the tube or rim is removedfrom the top of the outer basin It] to permit the sewage to flow againinto the inner basin to separate the solid matter from the liquid.

Also the catch basins shown in the drawing may be provided with agrating in place of the cover 22 shown in Fig. 1. In this modification,all that part of the outer catch basin l0 above a horizontal linecoinciding with the lowermost part of the opening I2 is dispensed withand the grating is placed in this modified top of the outer basin 10over the removable inner basin so that the upper surface of such gratingis on a level with the street surface and flush with the cover l5. Withthis simple modification the catch basins can be used to embody a sewerinlet in the middle of a roadway or street whereby surface water fromthe street passes through the street grating into the inner basin 2!]and thence through the openings 2| and I3 through the chamber I4 to theunderground sewerage system connected with the pipe '6.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

1. In a sewer system, a catch basin, a movable receptacle adapted to bepositioned therein for cleaning the catch basin, and means for turningthe receptacle to force any sewage from the basin into the receptacle.

2. In a sewer system, an outer basin, a removable inner basin forcollecting solid matter separated from the sewage and for cleaning theouter basin, and means for moving the inner basin within the outer basinto force any collected solid matter from the outer basin into the innerbasin in a cleaning operation.

3. In a sewer system, a catch basin, removable means positioned withinthe basin for removing the solid matter from the sewage, and meanscarried by the removable means for forcing any solid matter from thecatch basin into the removable means when the latter is rotated.

4. In a sewer system, a catch basin, a receptacle removably supportedtherein having slots, vanes secured to the receptacle adjacent theslots, and means for lifting the receptacle from the basin and forrotating the receptacle whereby the vanes force muck and silt from thecatch basin into the receptacle through the slots therein.

5. In a sewer system, an outer basin, a removable inner basin havingopenings and vanes, the latter centering the removable basin within theouter basin, means secured to the removable basin whereby it may berotated to permit the vanes to force any solid matter collected from thesewage from the outer basin through the openings into the removablebasin and whereby it may be lifted out of the outer basin, and a trapdoor in the bottom of the removable basin to permit the dumping of thesilt and refuse collected from the sewage.

6. In a sewer system, a drainage catch basin, and a combination inletand outlet carried thereby including a chamber having a removable coverflush with the level of the street and the lower edge of an inletopening, said chamber also provided with an inlet opening through whichsurface water flows from the catch basin into the chamber which has anoutlet opening connected to an underground sewerage system.

'7. In a sewer system, a drainage catch basin having an inlet throughwhich surface waters flow from street gutters, a cover therefor havingits top surface flush with the sidewalk level, an outlet chamber intowhich the water flows from the catch basin, and a cover for the outletchamher having its upper surface flush with the street level.

8. In a sewer system, a catch basin, a removable receptacle positionedwithin the basin for collecting solid matter separated from sewage,means protruding outwardly from the receptacle and engaging the walls ofthe catch basin and means for rotating the receptacle to movethe saidprotruding means to disrupt any suction with the basin walls to expeditethe easy removal of the receptacle therefrom.

9. In a sewer system, an outer catch basin having a conical bottom andan inlet and an outlet, a removable inner catch basin, having a conicalbottom and an outlet in communication with the outlet of the outer catchbasin, vanes carried by the inner basin on its bottom and side wallsadjacent slots therein, means for moving the vanes to force solid matterfrom the outer basin through the said slots into the inner basin, saidlast mentioned means also permitting the lifting of the inner basin fromthe outer basin, and a hinged gate in the bottom of the inner basinwhich is adapted to be opened to dump the collected solid mattertherethrough.

ALBERT ELLSWORTH AKERS.

